Still with the close-in tracking issues. But it sounds like it's pretty darned close at this point. It does seem like Valve is getting out-developed in the VR race, they haven't even gotten their Knuckles controllers out yet.

Sounds interesting, I don't have a VR headset now but it seems like this might actually be worth picking up. No external cameras, only one cable, I guess software support is the only major hurdle if you're interesting in VR (and already own a gaming PC).

It seems external tracking is all but dead now. I mean it is a clever shortcut for getting to market early but inside out tracking is just easier to mass produce and easier to sell to consumers. It does put the Vive Pro is a weird spot in that until it is refreshed (next year?) you are buying something which is a technological dead end.

While this is one cable it still has multiple connectors. Usb-c eventually will provide the single connector solution (virtual link alt-mode) for VR. Single connector, single cable, more comfortable hmds, better room awareness for the user, no external stuff required just plug it in and play. It is nice to see VR getting a bit more polished beyond just the raw specs.

While we await the arrival of the VR doom brigade into this thread, I will simply say that this looks pretty exciting. I financed my Rift by ebaying a load of tat from my house... I'm already eyeing up the second wave...

Also my obligatory language pedantry: there is no such word as "performant"; it either performs well or it doesn't. Bloody marketing droids are determined to mutilate the language until there's nothing left of it.

Sounds good and it's nice to see them pushing the state of the art forward. I still wouldn't consider buying into a Facebook-controlled platform no matter how good it is, but some of those features should bleed over into the competition.

I got a Twitter question about Windows Mixed Reality headsets, to which I'll say: nothing in the WMR space has impressed me with its inside-out tracking the way Oculus Rift S did. I really did fall and bounce around to try and break its sensing capabilities this week, to no avail. I cannot say the same for WMR headsets that seemed better suited for minimal movement and sit-down VR.

However, any Rift S review we do *will* include comparisons to existing WMR headsets with inside-out tracking, in order to answer a pretty crucial question: if you want to buy a PC-connected headset at roughly the $400 mark, is Oculus Rift S really the best option?

Also my obligatory language pedantry: there is no such word as "performant"; it either performs well or it doesn't. Bloody marketing droids are determined to mutilate the language until there's nothing left of it.

I believe you'll find the word "performant" in several dictionaries available online. For example...

"Rift S owners will get a few perks, including a nearly 100-percent boost in pixel resolution (up to 1280×1440 per eye)."What do you mean by that? It does not have "fixed" resolution? And 100% boost compared to what?

Besides this, does it allow different IPD setting? ("Digital IPD slider" is as fuzzy description as possibly one can come up with.)

While this is one cable it still has multiple connectors. Usb-c eventually will provide the single connector solution (virtual link alt-mode) for VR. Single connector, single cable, more comfortable hmds, better room awareness for the user, no external stuff required just plug it in and play. It is nice to see VR getting a bit more polished beyond just the raw specs.

An issue I have with VR relying only on a USB-C connector is the strain on the port. Most current VR setups use the USB-A & HDMI combo which provides a little resistance if the cable gets tugged (which can happen depending on the VR game and cable run setup). I don't have much confidence that a USB-C connector can take as much physical punishment as the USB-A/HDMI ports can due to their larger size and robustness.

This can be a problem for more casual VR gamers who don't have a bit more of an advanced wiring setup using cable extenders and a wiring solution that puts them overhead.

Might as well as just get off the computer/smartphone/tablet and internet all together.

If Ars developed this, I'd buy it,. Ars's collection of information is very much different than Facebook's collection of data. And to add to this, it's one thing to economically support an unethical company versus economically supporting an ethical company: Facebook unethical, Ars ethical.

"Rift S owners will get a few perks, including a nearly 100-percent boost in pixel resolution (up to 1280×1440 per eye)."What do you mean by that? It does not have "fixed" resolution? And 100% boost compared to what?

Besides this, does it allow different IPD setting? ("Digital IPD slider" is as fuzzy description as possibly one can come up with.)

While this is one cable it still has multiple connectors. Usb-c eventually will provide the single connector solution (virtual link alt-mode) for VR. Single connector, single cable, more comfortable hmds, better room awareness for the user, no external stuff required just plug it in and play. It is nice to see VR getting a bit more polished beyond just the raw specs.

An issue I have with VR relying only on a USB-C connector is the strain on the port. Most current VR setups use the USB-A & HDMI combo which provides a little resistance if the cable gets tugged (which can happen depending on the VR game and cable run setup). I don't have much confidence that a USB-C connector can take as much physical punishment as the USB-A/HDMI ports can due to their larger size and robustness.

This can be a problem for more casual VR gamers who don't have a bit more of an advanced wiring setup using cable extenders and a wiring solution that puts them overhead.

I have a question, especially as I have a Lenovo Explorer. It is a cool headset, but, they used the most easily scratched lenses in the entire world. A flea might accidentally brush a wing against a Lenovo Explorer lens and ruin it completely.

Does this Rift use plastic or glass lenses? For $399 I would request glass or a strong acrylic, but, somehow I expect they used the same plastic as on the Explorer. I should not need to put watch screen protectors on my lenses to prevent my eyelash from scratching the lens.

Also my obligatory language pedantry: there is no such word as "performant"; it either performs well or it doesn't. Bloody marketing droids are determined to mutilate the language until there's nothing left of it.

1. If you are going to be pedantic about language, then you should also understand how culture and society bends language to its will.

Hmmm making it hard to choose between Oculus exclusives and the higher fidelity HP Reverb.

I play Oculus exclusive games on my Lenovo Explorer Windows Mixed Reality HMD (obviously a Microsoft product, look at that name!) using Revive with great success. Launching games aren't quite as smooth as with a standard Oculus setup, but overall the process is pretty easy.

I like the idea behind the Oculus Rift S, but I would not be happy losing the ear pieces that were part of the original Oculus Rift. They are incredibly convenient to have since I don't have to worry about plugging in an extra headset when I just want to play a game. That alone would dissuade me from upgrading to this.

The Pimax 5K and 8K VR headsets look really interesting to me, but I don't know allot about Pimax. Are they a company that will probably stick around, or are they a kickstarter fly-by-night and will deliver something and then disappear? The headsets aren't cheap, but the thought of 4K per eye is very enticing.

Might as well as just get off the computer/smartphone/tablet and internet all together.

I don't think the fact that Ars knows I read this article means that I must willingly submit to all tracking of all my activities by all companies. That's flat out dumb.

I make choices about which products and services to use, in part on the basis of the balance of benefits vs privacy costs. More information leaks out than I want, but it's not all possible information and it doesn't go to all possible companies. Reducing the number of companies that receive information is still beneficial; reducing the amount of information they receive is also beneficial.

I like the redesigned, PSVR-like head strap. What are the materials used for the padding? My old PSVR's faux leather was MUCH better for sweaty exercise than my new Rift CV1's cloth and foam padding, which absorbs sweat and, frankly, stinks.

VR exercise is such an amazing thing that I'm surprised no manufacturer has yet designed a headset with sweat explicitly in mind. But if the Rift S is a step up from my Rift in terms of cleanliness it might be worth the investment for me.

I like the redesigned, PSVR-like head strap. What are the materials used for the padding? My old PSVR's faux leather was MUCH better for sweaty exercise than my new Rift CV1's cloth and foam padding, which absorbs sweat and, frankly, stinks.

VR exercise is such an amazing thing that I'm surprised no manufacturer has yet designed a headset with sweat explicitly in mind. But if the Rift S is a step up from my Rift in terms of cleanliness it might be worth the investment for me.

I bought a replacement interface kit for $50 from vrcover.com and it came with a variety of padding options - polyurethane "leather" and velour, in different thicknesses. The padding attaches to their replacement facial interface plastic via Velcro, and seems to work pretty well. (This means each person who uses the Rift can have their own padding, so nobody has to share sweat.)

I'm interested in upgrading from my Oculus Rift. Not sure if it's worth the money but I'm interested in the Rift S. One of the nicer things is a DisplayPort connector. My 1080Ti only has a single HDMI-port and deciding between connecting my Rift or the LG OLED isn't something I want to do.

I like the idea behind the Oculus Rift S, but I would not be happy losing the ear pieces that were part of the original Oculus Rift. They are incredibly convenient to have since I don't have to worry about plugging in an extra headset when I just want to play a game. That alone would dissuade me from upgrading to this.

Additionally, there were "addons", like the in-ear headphones that I purchased which are really really nice.

Might as well as just get off the computer/smartphone/tablet and internet all together.

If Ars developed this, I'd buy it,. Ars's collection of information is very much different than Facebook's collection of data. And to add to this, it's one thing to economically support an unethical company versus economically supporting an ethical company: Facebook unethical, Ars ethical.

Ars is a subsidiary of Conde Nast. As good as their reporting is, their policy is the same as the rest of the corporation if you read through it.

Conde Nast sells all their data to advertisers.

I come to Ars for their news stories, not because the privacy is any better than any other ad driven media corporation.